A Meeting of Minds
by alh1971
Summary: Billy has a much needed talk with Carlisle. Post Eclipse, pro-wolf!
_AN: This idea has been bugging me for a while. Like for years. So I finally sat down and wrote it out…_

 _I always felt that SM emasculated Billy Black. I just don't buy that he would have taken such a passive role in events. Here is what I would have liked to see happen…_

…

Billy sat back in his wheelchair, continuing to stolidly appraise the "man" who sat before him. Although he appreciated that the doctor had arranged for time off from the hospital to meet with him, and on his own turf no less, he wanted to prolong his power play.

'Make the ice man squirm,' he thought wryly.

Sure, he had helped to patch his boy up after the battle with the newly turned leeches, but the blame for the tribe's children phasing and the resulting aftermath lay squarely on his shoulders. He and his coven had caused a devastating chain of events that had not only impacted his family and tribe, but also the lives of his best friend and his daughter.

Billy took a sip of coffee and waited for several moments. He suppressed a smirk when he saw Carlisle Cullen shift in his seat. It was a subtle tell, but one that hinted at a slight crack in the man's polite and patient demeanor.

It was enough for Billy. He had won this small battle.

Now for the war.

"I appreciate you coming out here to the rez, Mr. Cullen," he began.

The blonde man smiled. "You are welcome, Chief Black. But really, after all we have been through, I would hope you would be comfortable referring to me by my first name. Please call me Carlisle." The vampire smiled charmingly, but it soon evaporated as he took in the native man's impassive stare.

"Under the circumstances, I just don't feel comfortable doing that. Uh, this is not what I would call a request for a social visit, Mr. Cullen."

The doctor sat back slightly in his chair though kept a demeanor of polite inquisitiveness. But Billy had noticed something had shifted in his eyes. A look of wariness.

Billy decided he liked that expression on the perfectly sculpted man's face.

He continued. "Mr. Cullen, are you aware that your "son" Edward sent my son an invitation to his and Bella's wedding?"

Carlisle's eyes narrowed slightly before he answered. "Yes, I am aware that an invitation was sent. My understanding was that Edward had thought it to be a courtes—"

Billy cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No, it was not done as a courtesy. We both damn well know that." He paused as he suppressed a surge of anger. 'No use in getting worked up just yet, old man,' he chastised himself.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Mr. Cullen, it was done as a power play. A way to get to my son, a final insult, a way to rub Jake's heartache and loss in his face."

Carlisle opened his mouth to argue but Billy once again shut him down. "And did you know, once my son read the invitation, he ran out that door right there," he gestured with his thumb. "Phased into his wolf, and ran off."

Carlisle nodded and murmured, "Yes, Bella had told Edward that he left and she was understandably distraught about that."

Billy pursed his lips and held his hands steepled up to his mouth. "Hmm. Well, I'm glad to hear she hasn't completely lost her conscience yet. And yes, she's not the only one who is upset. You see, no one knows exactly where my son is. He has shut his pack out, rejected the pain of the man and turned himself over to the wolf, they told me," he choked out, a sudden stab in his chest a visceral reminder of the void left behind for his only son, his youngest child.

He swallowed thickly and then recovered with another sip of his coffee.

Carlisle's face dripped with compassion, but it just served to piss Billy off. He didn't want his damned pity. He wanted something else entirely from the vampire.

"Look, Mr. Cullen, I'm actually not here to talk about my boy. Not directly, that is."

The vampire's eyebrows shot up quizzically. "How can I help you? If it is within my power, please don't hesitate to ask."

Billy chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that. Because, believe me, Mr. Cullen, I do believe you can do something that is very much within your power."

Carlisle smiled and spread his arms in a gesture of acquiescence. "By all means, please tell me."

Billy pushed his coffee out of the way and sat forward, leaning his strong arms on the table.

"You tell your family, especially your son, Edward, that this, all of this is a mistake and it ends now. You take everyone like you did before and you vanish. You leave this tribe and the neighboring people alone and never come back."

Carlisle laughed nervously. "I…I'm afraid I can't do that. I have renewed commitments at the hospital, and Edward…he would never leave Bella again. He loves her. She is his mate, and the wedding has been planned, and then after—"

"You will kill her," Billy hissed at him.

Carlisle's handsome face looked distressed. "No, no, you see, Edward's intention was never to change her. He has wanted her to retain her humanity, has wanted to her to live-"

"Bullshit!" Billy thundered, lowering his fist to the table in a loud boom to emphasize his point. He pointed at the vampire. "I know something that you don't think I am privy to. You see, Bella talks. She's young and still somewhat innocent and she talks to her best friend. When she's able to get out from under the thumb of that thing you call a son, that is. Bella told Jacob that all of you, and that includes you, doc, "voted" to kill her, and apparently, everyone except Edward and that one woman, her name is Rose I believe, was keen on the idea of her dying, of joining your so-called family. And I now know that Edward has every intention of killing her on their honeymoon. She said as much to my boy."

Carlisle attempted to explain himself to the chief, but it fell on deaf ears. He allowed the man to ramble on with his convoluted explanations, his rationalizations for his decision, even so far as to admit how he was trying to protect Edward from harming himself while focusing on their intent to "respect Bella's wishes." With his last ridiculous comment, Billy had to interrupt him again.

"Respect Bella's wishes," he scoffed and shook his head. His lip curled in a very lupine snarl. "Mr. Cullen, I heard you're what, hundreds of years old? You weren't as they say, born yesterday. There is no way in hell that you are not aware that you are talking about a young, ignorant girl. A teenager. A baby, damn near. One who has not even started to live yet. Someone with her whole life, _decades_ , ahead of her. No one, and I mean no one, knows what the hell they want out of life at age 18-19. Why do you think so many people divorce their high school sweethearts? People grow, change, often want different things, and that's a natural part of life. And you want to "honor" her wishes? What do you do when 10, 20 years from now she regrets her decision, is heartbroken when she sees other young women having babies? What does she think and feel when she puts her father in the ground? What then? When she resents you all for not taking into account her best interests?" Billy's eyes glinted in anger as he waited for the doctor's response.

When Carlisle didn't respond, he continued, "You, as their chief, as the elder and the head of the family, have power, have a responsibility, to make difficult choices, to make the right decisions. Up until now, you appear to have pursued an existence that is admirable, that has meaning. You have created a family who abstain from drinking human blood, and have essentially turned your back on your nature to reject the monster within. You have worked hard to save human lives in your profession as a doctor. You claim to respect and revere human life. And yet you give your blessing for your son to kill a vulnerable, innocent young woman? You owe Bella that same respect, Mr. Cullen. You have to protect her life, and that means you must protect her from your very own son."

Carlisle bowed his head, the gravity of the man's word weighing on him.

"No matter what it takes, what you have to do, you owe that young woman her life. Her whole natural life that lay ahead of her."

Carlisle raised his head. He sat in silence, unblinking as he stared at the Quileute chief. They both sat for several moments, one breathing hard, the other immobile.

The vampire stood to leave. He reached the door and Billy thought he would leave without another word, but at the last minute, he turned to look at the human man.

"Thank you for asking me over, Chief Black."

And with a soft click of the door latch, he was gone.

Billy let out a large exhalation. Grimacing as he downed the rest of the tepid coffee, he gripped the cup between his legs as he wheeled himself back to the coffee maker.

…

One week later.

…

Sam stood silently in Billy Black's living room. The chief had a request for the large man who took up most of the space in his small home. The Alpha nodded his head in deference to his elder and went to find the rest of the pack. It was time to contact Jacob and bring him back.

Billy knew that his son would not be able to stay away after he had heard the news.

The Cullens had vanished. Without Bella.

She was alive.

And Billy knew, _that_ was what would ultimately matter to his son, no matter if he and the girl could patch up their friendship or perhaps have it evolve back to what their natural course should have been.

Oh, of course, Bella would hurt, perhaps revert back to her depression. But as Billy well knew, with living came pain. But life also brought joy. And in the end, she would grow and learn, would age. And with age would come wisdom, and perhaps one day, he could reveal the truth to her: how one morning, the chief of the Quileute tribe had sat down with his immortal enemy and talked. And the enemy, a vampire, had listened to him.

….

…

 _Thanks for reading._


End file.
